Commercial Projects
Turkish Firm to Build Sh90bn Factories in Naivasha
The Turkish Industrial Complex will inject Sh60bn into the economy.
Turkish Industry Holdings, the company behind the proposed $760 million (Sh90 billion) Naivasha Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Nakuru County, has begun construction of six factories that will largely produce high-end construction materials for export.
Dubbed the Turkish Industrial Complex, the Turkish Ceramic, Granite, and Tiles SEZ, whose ground-breaking event was held on Tuesday, will specialise in the manufacture and sale of construction, forestry, furniture, and cleaning products.
These include medium-density fibreboard (MDF) – the raw material for furniture industries, ceramic and granite tiles, steel, cement, aluminium profile, sanitary towels, tissue paper, and towel napkins, among other products.
According to the company’s board chairman Mehmet Coskun, the MDF factory will specialise in high-end furniture for both local and international markets.
The Turkish Industrial Complex will also feature a cement factory.
“The (MDF and cement plants) will be producing 30% of products for the local market and 70% for export to regional and international markets like Europe and the US,” Mr Coskun said.
Construction of the Turkish Ceramic, Granite, and Tiles SEZ, which sits on 100 acres, will be completed in 30 months. The SEZ is projected to inject Sh60bn into the economy.
“We are going to push out of Naivasha for export a minimum of 500 containers of different products per day through the port of Mombasa,” Mr Coskun added.
Turkish Industry Holdings plans to employ 2,900 Kenyans and 350 Turks and Germans at its six factories. This will help Kenyan contractors to acquire Turkish engineering technology and materials which have been ranked among the best in the world.
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On Wednesday, the company appointed Mwaniki Munuhe, 36, to the position of Vice President of the Turkish Ceramic, Granite, and Tiles SEZ.
The Kenyan executive is expected to lead the African operations of the Turkish firm as it seeks to set up the biggest construction materials factory in the region.
“The [company] has the pleasure to announce [the appointment of] a Kenyan – Mr Mwaniki Munuhe – to the position of Vice President of the Turkish Ceramic, Granite and Tiles SEZ Project,” Turkish Industry Holdings Vice President Abdulhakim Alici said on Wednesday.
Turkish Industry Holdings had earlier ventured into Ethiopia but stopped operations following long-drawn-out political tensions in the country.
Investors from Turkey are increasingly eyeing investments in the Kenyan construction sector following the 2016 signing of a bilateral agreement between Kenya and Turkey that sought to raise bilateral trade volume to Sh100 billion.
The agreement that, among other things, eliminated double taxation while promoting investment has seen a growing number of Turkish investors travelling to Kenya to scout for potential areas to put their resources.
Turkey ranks second after China in the construction world with 43 out of the top 200 construction companies in the world being Turkish.
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